Transgender community members hold rally in Jammu, seek reservation in assembly

Jammu: Ahead of the Jammu and Kashmir polls, members of the transgender community held a rally here on Saturday, demanding reservation for them in the legislative assembly.

The rally, which started at Vikram Chowk and culminated at Hari Singh Park in the heart of the city, saw participants carrying placards and raising slogans in support of their demand.

"We have 90 seats in the assembly but not one is reserved for us. We want at least one seat each to be reserved in the two divisions of Jammu and Kashmir for us so that our issues can be resolved," Raveena Mahant, who was leading the rally, told reporters.

She said the rally was organised to voice the transgender community's demand for reservation and representation in the electoral process which has long been denied by the political parties in the region.

"Without such reservation, the community remains under-represented and is unable to influence decisions which directly impact the lives of transgender persons," she added.

Mahant said the transgender community will continue to advocate for these crucial changes and call on the government and political parties to address the issues at the earliest.

Another participant said that political parties and governments talk about democracy but it is only "lip service because there is no reservation for us in jobs or separate washrooms in educational institutions".

"We are on the road to raise our voice for the rights of the LGBT community. We want the government to listen to us," she said.